The Greater Yellowlegs 
Occurrence in California. —Of general distribution in the vicinity of water 
during migrations. Winters sparingly in the San Joaquin Valley, in the San Diegan 
district, and in the Colorado and Imperial valleys. 
Authorities.—Gambel ( Totanus melanoleucus) , Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 
ser. 2, i., 1849, p. 223 (Pac. Coast U. S. in winter); Brewster, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., 
vol. xli., no. 1, 1902, p. 65 (western bird described as new subsp., Totanus melanoleucus 
frazari);Bowles and Howell, Condor, vol. xiv., 1912, p. 9 (migr. dates at Santa Barbara). 
Taken in San Luis Obispo County Photo by the Author 
PORTRAIT OF GREATER YELLOWLEGS 
OUR KNOWLEDGE of the Yellowlegs is absurdly limited to an en¬ 
forced acquaintance with his voice. Tew tew tew, tew tew tew, he shrieks 
wherever he goes. With tew tew tew he invades the swamp-lands seeking 
to exorcise therewith all foes, present, possible, or suspected. The birdman 
doesn’t mind the racket, for all sounds in nature are good to him, and he 
would not abate their stirring harshness by one vibration. But with the 
hunter it is not so. He does not enjoy having his plans published nor his 
intended victims urged to flee for their lives. Therefore, the noisy bird 
foretells his own doom, and the end of the Telltale draws nigh. Yet I sup¬ 
pose the last member of this doughty race, starting southward sometime 
about 1940 from Calgary or Stickeen, will grasp his megaphone firmly and 
proceed to spread abroad the old, old gospel of alarm. He will sow the air, 
undaunted, with tew tew tew, until some Californian huntsman, arrived 
with his hammerless, powderless, aimless gun of that day, will drop him 
kerplunk! into a Sacramento bog. Sic transibit pestis mundi —and would, 
oh would, he might take the Killdeer with him; for be your business fair 
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